SINKING OF THERMOMETER, J 5 



breeze veered directly east, and came charged 

 with abundance of snow, which fell incessantly, 

 and filling up the hollows and crevices of the 

 ice, baulked the sight by an appearance of uni- 

 formity. As the wind was fresh, we might 

 possibly, with the advantage of daylight for se- 

 lecting the right * leads,' have got well in with 

 the land ; but this the night frustrated, and 

 having pushed on till 10 o'clock, p. m., we were 

 unable to get farther ; still the topsails and fore- 

 sail were kept hoisted and set, in the hope that 

 on the turn of tide an opening might be made. 



August 31st came, but with no friendly aspect, 

 for snow fell thick and fast, and the thermometer 

 sunk to 26° + , accelerating the formation of 

 young, and serving to cement the old ice, in an 

 alarming manner. However about 4 a. m., a 

 kind of ' slack ' was observed, and, after four 

 hours' labour, it was conjectured that one mile 

 of distance had been gained. Then being again 

 stopped, and not a pool of water in sight, the 

 sails were partly taken in. The hour arrived 

 when it was expected that the tide might have 

 some beneficial effect in loosening the wedged 

 masses, but arrived in vain : so the useless sails 

 were furled ; and in the midst of increasing snow, 

 and the worst and dreariest weather that could 

 have befallen us, we submitted in silence to 

 what no human power could control. At sun- 



